Assessment of Maternal Educational Level and Age on Attitude and Awareness Towards Early Orthodontic Consultation of Children

Background The normal and unhindered development of dentition has a pivotal role in self-esteem, confidence, social attraction, interaction, and the attractiveness of an individual, whereas individuals affected by deranged occlusion are more prone to bullying, low self-esteem, and social isolation, leading to psychosocial conditions. Malocclusion is considered the third most prevalent dental problem following dental caries and periodontitis, which can be detected, intercepted, and treated at an early age, thereby reducing the efforts required at a later stage to a larger extent. Materials and Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out on 330 mothers whose children were between the ages of 6 and 12 years studying in two schools. A questionnaire was designed to evaluate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of the mothers’ awareness toward early orthodontic treatment for their children. A three-point Likert scale was used to assess the attitude of the respondents, which included three responses (agree, disagree, and neutral). The questionnaire was tested for reliability and validity. Results High maternal awareness was reported through this study towards the role of oral habits in the development of malocclusion, and the level of awareness was significantly increased with an increase in education level. Mothers still lacked the awareness towards preservation of a primary tooth during the mixed dentition phase. Conclusion Maternal education does have a synergistic effect on the attitude and awareness of mothers towards orthodontic consultation and attitude towards treatment, but age has no significant relation on the maternal awareness.